What Are Authority Websites? Easy to follow for beginners

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What Are Authority Websites? This is a question that often comes up for folks who are just getting into SEO and online marketing. There seem to be so many unanswered questions I’m sure you may be thinking. Not to worry, today I’m going to walk you through exactly what Authority Websites are. 

By the end of this blog post, you’ll have a solid understanding of what an Authority website is and you’ll also know what it ISN’T. If you haven’t already check out my post on niche websites as well to understand some of the differences between both types of websites. 

If you’d rather watch a video or listen in on this topic, check out my video below on this topic. 

WHAT ARE AUTHORITY WEBSITES?

Okay, so you want to know what Authority websites are. Chances are you have heard what a niche website is, and then you have heard something about Authority websites and that’s where you were lost.

If you don’t know what a niche website is, check out my post on What are Niche Websites.

An authority website is a high quality and robust website that is widely respected by knowledgeable people within that particular niche or subject matter. Authority websites only publish CONTENT that is high quality and trustworthy. Typically the content on Authority websites is so good and it makes people want to share it with their friends and refer to it as fact. So to sum it up, they are trusted, reliable sources of information. 

Typically, Authority websites are much larger than your run-of-the-mill Niche website. When I say larger, I am talking about content. These websites often have hundreds and hundreds, or even thousands of blog post articles. In addition to that, they often have a massive amount of web traffic and a respectable amount of returning visitors every month. 

Visitors view sites like these as the ultimate resource for that particular topic or niche. You have probably found yourself going to a website like this while debating a topic with a friend, family member, or significant other. These are probably one of the websites you’ve come across and said “AH HA! Look at this! I am RIGHT! It says so right here on this website!”. Typically you’ve found this answer on a large respectable site that both you and the other person have heard of. Even if you haven’t, you can “just tell” it’s a website that has good, reliable information. You know the ones I mean. 

WHAT IS THE GOAL OF AN AUTHORITY WEBSITE?

The goal of an authority website is long-term success, longevity, and of course earning potential. While some smaller niche websites are designed for a quick sale and are often visited by folks that never return after looking up that ONE thing that brought them there. Authority websites on the other hand are often looking to build more of a long-term relationship with visitors and eventually turn those visitors into customers. 

These larger authority websites do this in several ways and they are often built out really well.

Tell-Tale Signs of an Authority Website:

  • You may see that sites like these have email lists for newsletters and exclusive content for subscribers. This helps to build and establish a community around the niche. 
  • They MAY have a successful youtube channel. 
  • They MAY likely sell or offer courses
  • They MAY sell products or services
  • They partner with well known and respected brands
  • They offer high-quality ads on their site
  • They offer high-quality content that visitors trust and are more likely to click on affiliate links and accept their recommendations as a reliable source. 

EXAMPLES OF AUTHORITY WEBSITES

So at this point, you may still be wondering what an Authority website actually looks like in practice. It may even sound really complicated if you are still new to the idea of niche websites and authority websites and the whole making money online “thing”. 

So let’s take a look at a few websites that are authority websites. You may have heard of them before, and you may not have. So the sites we are going to take a look at are:

  • Thespruce.com
    • Email newsletter email sign up 3/4 of the way down home page
    • Huge youtube channel
    • They do have their own products in stores we know like Lowes, etc
    • They may have partnerships with brands (not as easy to tell)
    • High-quality ads served on their site
    • Content is top notch
  • Goodhousekeeping.com
    • Sign In button
    • Huge youtube channel
    • No courses
    • They sell Ebooks, Yoga programs, decorating ideas, organizing ebooks, etc.
    • They have a promotions tab where they promote and partner with brands like ARM & Hammer, Curel, and others
    • Very high quality and well-placed ads on their site that do not take away from the user experience
    • Very high quality and well-written content on their website with affiliate links
  • Cnet.com
    • Join/Sign-in button
    • Huge youtube channel
    • No courses
    • No products or services
    • Definitely partner with brands
    • High-quality ads
    • High-quality content

As we go through these websites I want you to keep in mind some of the things I mentioned earlier that are tell-tale signs of an Authority website.

The Spruce

The Spruce Home Page

Articels On Home Page

Email Newsletter Sign Up

The Sprice Youtube Channel

What We Found

  • Email newsletter email sign up 3/4 of the way down the home page
  • Huge youtube channel
  • They do have their own products in stores we know like Lowes, etc
  • They may have partnerships with brands (not as easy to tell)
  • High-quality ads served on their site
  • Content is top-notch

Good Housekeeping

Home Page

Further down home page (notice the display ads)

Huge Youtube Channel

What We Found

  • Sign In button
  • Huge youtube channel
  • No courses
  • They sell Ebooks, Yoga programs, decorating ideas, organizing ebooks, etc.
  • They have a promotions tab where they promote and partner with brands like ARM & Hammer, Curel, and others
  • Very high quality and well-placed ads on their site that do not take away from the user experience
  • Very high quality and well-written content on their website with affiliate links

CNET

CNET Home Page

CNET Youtube Channel

What We Found

  • Join/Sign-in button
  • Huge youtube channel
  • No courses
  • No products or services
  • Definitely partner with brands
  • High-quality ads
  • High-quality content

ADVANTAGES OF AUTHORITY WEBSITES OVER NICHE WEBSITES

Ok, so as promised, let me tell you some of the advantages that Authority websites have over niches sites. I am not going to say that authority sites are just flat out better than niche sites but I do think that they have a significant advantage. Some people have several niche sites and are pretty successful at it. I’ll keep this short but the advantages of authority sites over niche sites are that they:

  • Have a much higher earning potential
  • Potential to build more streams of revenue
  • Truly scalable unlike many niche sites

Conclusion

So there you have it. Now you know what an Authority website is. You should also be able to simply explain what an Authority website is to someone else. I hope that this blog post helped you learn a bit more about online marketing and helped to give you a bit more ammo on your journey. If you haven’t already check out my post on “What are Niche Websites”.